The Samsung Galaxy Nexus goes on sale December 15

The wait is (very nearly) over. Yesterday we reported that new speculation was pointing toward a December 15 launch for the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S—at least for Costco members–and now it appears that Verizon has officially announced its latest Android device.

9to5Google says the carrier gave official word that the Galaxy Nexus will launch tomorrow for $299 with a two year Verizon contract. The pricing is to be expected for a 4G Verizon phone, which has been incredibly in demand since its initial announcement. On that note, you might have to weather the lines at Verizon stores tomorrow, or wake up at 1 a.m. EST to buy the device online.

If the anticipation over the launch has started to overshadow the phone’s specs, here’s a quick review: the 4G device features a mammoth 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1280×720 resolution, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, an impressively-thin 9.47mm body, and runs a 1.2GHz processor. It also gets rid of buttons entirely, depending completely on its touchscreen. But it’s most talked-about feature is, of course, its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

And better than an announcement is a hint as to what the hold-up was about. 9to5Google says the 4.0.2 update was the culprit, an ICS fix that was issued earlier. We’ve been waiting on the bug patch to be pushed through before the Galaxy Nexus could make its debut.

Pricing and data packages:• Galaxy Nexus is available now in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online atwww.verizonwireless.com for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.• Customers that purchase a Galaxy Nexus by Samsung will need to subscribe to a VerizonWireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphonedata package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/galaxynexus for more information

on the Galaxy Nexus. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images of the Galaxy™ Nexus™by Samsung in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)

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About Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications(NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visitwww.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless MultimediaLibrary at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.